Reebok is the major sponsor of Crossfit so it’s good from that perspective that they are putting their money where their mouth is.  Like many of the community, I am interested in seeing what mainstream recognition brings to CrossFit –the good and the bad. Should be very interesting…

Reebok on a mission to get its employees fit

The company started with its own out-of-shape employees to spark a fitness revolution — as well as build confidence and camaraderie

CANTON – To be blunt, Peggy Baker is an overweight, middle-age diabetic. Until last year, she had never lifted a kettlebell or done a box jump in her life.

The 54-year-old is also a Reebok employee and the poster child for the company’s new mission: to get consumers moving by setting an example with its own workforce.

Baker is one of about 425 employees at Reebok who are taking part in a new fitness program that is transforming the sneaker maker’s Canton headquarters. Participants lost over 4,000 pounds collectively during 2011 – roughly the weight of an small SUV.

These workouts, called CrossFit, combine sprinting, gymnastics, powerlifting, kettlebell training, weightlifting, rowing, and medicine ball training, among other activities. The program is making waves at Reebok and gaining traction as one of the fastest-growing fitness movements in the United States. Reebok is capitalizing on the momentum with its first global marketing campaign featuring CrossFit, which will air during Sunday’s NFL divisional playoff between the New York Giants and Green Bay Packers.

The TV spot will feature chiseled athletes, but it also aims to show that CrossFit is as much about community, confidence building, competition, and camaraderie as it is about exercise and training.